The War for Balmung
by Runebinder
Summary: A trio meet and suddenly find themselves fighting against... -Based on Ragnarok Online MMORPG


Morocc, Desert Town: 1320 Hours  
  
The sun beat down on the sand-filled town of Morocc. A lone thief lurking in the alleys in an attempt to get away from the heat wiped his forehead on his shirt sleeve, staining it.  
  
"Hmm... I can always wash it anyway," he thought.  
  
"Sinner, Sinner, Sinner..." a voice said from behind him.  
  
"What do you want Miko?" Sinner asked, irritated.  
  
"Just to do exactly how you're feeling now, ^-^" the voice named Miko said.  
  
"I'm really not in the mood to be entertained right now, don't piss me off or I'll cut your throat open and leave you for the Peco Pecos," Sinner cursed through gritted teeth.  
  
"Okay, okay relax. All I wanted to do was... erm... borrow some money from you! ^-^;" Miko said to Sinner's back.  
  
"No."  
  
"Pleaseeee?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Aww... come on!"  
  
"No."  
  
"You're damned selfish you know that?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Fine, be that way!" Sinner heard quick and silent footsteps on the roof of the house behind him signaling that Miko had left.  
  
"What a nuisance... she still owes me two thousand zeny and three blue gems..." Sinner winced upon thinking of this. He mumbled to himself a few things and walked out onto the sun-drenched stone path towards the Kapra girl near the north exit. He noticed a female thief, whom he found most familiar from the way she tied her ponytail threatening a petrified Kapra girl with her Stiletto. Immediately, Sinner ran over and shouted "Hey you STOP!" and drew his Gladius.  
  
"Oh ho-ho! ^-^ Sinner! Come help me rob this Kapra girl! ^-^" Miko exclaimed  
  
"NO!" infuriated by what she was doing, Sinner pulled the Stiletto out of her hands and threw it aside. He motioned for the Kapra girl to leave. Without hesitation, the young girl scampered away with her hands on her face, crying.  
  
"Haven't I lent you enough money," Sinner started in his usual cool tone, "haven't I told you NOT to ROB anyone before?!" and ended in his loud, commanding voice, causing a few curious blacksmiths to look in his direction. He sweatdropped (^-^;)  
  
"Well... erm... Heeeheee!" Miko giggled innocently hoping to gain Sinner's forgiveness by giving him her cute look. His forgiveness however, did not come easily. Finally, he decided to let Miko be after warning her one final time that if he caught her trying to rob anyone, he WOULD slash her throat and leave her in the desert for the Peco Pecos.  
  
Character Analysis ] -----------------------  
  
Name : Miko Kishagi  
  
Age : 17  
  
Sex : Female  
  
Class : Level 32 Thief  
  
Guild : Clan of Assassins  
  
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Name : Sinner  
  
Age : ?  
  
Sex : Male  
  
Class : Level 37 Thief  
  
Guild : Clan of Assassins  
  
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The drink and food shack was a little rundown building with cracked walls and a creaky brown door with bells tied to the top. On the door, a giant symbol was inscribed into it. Sinner stared at it closely, his nose almost touching the door. He ran his fingers over the inscription briefly. When his fingers came into contact with the picture, a vivid premonition hit him, showing a swordsman and himself fighting together in a dark room or cave with Spore-like creatures attacking them. Sinner pulled away his hand immediately, recoiling from the strange phenomenon. "What the..." Sinner mumbled, touching his fingers gingerly. Sinner knew better than to touch any part of that door again so, he decided to go to the capital city of Prontera to do some "shopping".  
  
Sinner went to the Morocc town square where most of the townsfolk and visitors gather to sell their wares, chat or trade a large assortment of rare items. He asked around for warps from Priests and Acolytes but none of them seemed to be the least interested in him. After a fruitless hour of finding someone to warp him to Prontera, he decided to get a warp once and for all. Walking up behind an Acolyte, Sinner drew his Gladius and poked an Acolyte in the back, keeping it hidden from view under his cloak. He placed his face near the Acolyte's ear from his back and told him to go to the far end of Morocc, threatening to kill him if he refused to cooperate. "Okay, okay just relax..." he said and walked slowly to the deserted end of Morocc.  
  
Once they reached the end the Acolyte stopped, waiting for further instructions. "Now, I want you to turn around, slowly." Sinner emphasized greatly on the word 'slowly' in case the Acolyte decided to do something funny. He shuffled his feet and suddenly, in one swift and big motion, Sinner's Gladius was thrown into the air by the Acolyte's back kick. Smiling, the Acolyte waved and said, "If you ever want a warp again just ask it won't kill you will it?" he chanted an incantation and threw a blue gemstone at the feet of Sinner, making him step back a bit. The ground swirled and distorted itself, in its place a white cyclone-like portal took form. Sinner found that he was standing directly in the warp portal so, he grabbed the Gladius which was falling back down to the ground towards him without looking with style. "Thanks, name's Sinner." He said to the Acolyte. "I'm Winter, if you ever see me feel free to say 'Hi.' ^-^" Sinner felt the ground shifting beneath his feet, being thrown into oblivion and then suddenly finding himself on the sky-white marble paving of Prontera Capital.  
  
Character Analysis  
  
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Name : Winter, Xiao  
  
Age : 18  
  
Sex : Male  
  
Class : Level ? Acolyte  
  
Guild : Not Yet Known  
  
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Sinner walked around aimlessly in Prontera, stopping once in awhile to look at what the blacksmiths which lined the city streets were selling. In one corner, he heard a group of Wizards talking about something called a 'Doppelganger'. After a few minutes of eavesdropping, he found out that Doppelganger was actually the spirit of a swordsman who was killed mercilessly by an evil spirit which dwelled in the dark, damp caverns of Geffen dungeon, feeding on the souls of those which die by its hands. The Doppelganger's spirit could not move on because of its hatred and longing to destroy the evil spirit which he was slain by. When Sinner was about to turn away from the group of Wizards, he came face-to-face with a Knight, bleeding profusely, his armor was scratched and a deep gash in his arm made him look even worse. The marble paving he was standing on was covering in a bright red from all the blood, Sinner was disgusted.  
  
"H...help... Me please..." the Knight begged, clinging to his sword for support.  
  
Sinner stared blankly at the Knight, confused and not knowing what to do.  
  
"Keith!" one of the Wizards from the conversation exclaimed, after noticing the Knight had returned from his journey.  
  
The Wizard shoved Sinner aside and supported the Knight by slinging his armor clad hand over his shoulder. Finally realizing the situation, Sinner rushed off to find a Priest. A moment later Sinner returned with a Priestess and she fixed the Knight up. The Wizard offered her reasonably large amount of zeny but she refused to take it. She looked at Sinner and pointed at the money in the Wizard's hand. Without a second thought, he rushed over, grabbed the money and left.  
  
"Heh, what easy money!" he was obviously delighted for getting so much for doing nothing.  
  
Having nothing much more to do that day, Sinner decided to put the money which he 'earned' to good use. He rented a room at Prontera's most luxurious Inn and stay there for a couple of days before setting off to Geffen to explore the dungeons for this 'Doppelganger'.  
  
Hope you guys liked it, please R&R no matter how bad it is =/ 


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